So, the past week has been rather terrible, hasn't it? Which makes a lovely change from the rather terrible year we've been having. As such, I have decided to do a thing.

I have set up a JustGiving page, where I'm aiming to raise £500 to donate to Planned Parenthood in VP-elect (and general terrible human being) Mike Pence's name. Because this way, I can do good while being passive-aggressive, and that's my favourite way to do things.

Thank you for taking part in our little exchange and for writing me a story! I'm sure I'll love anything you do. :D (And I'm sorry the posting of this letter was late. If it wasn't for geckoholic I'm sure the entire exercise would have been a complete mess.)

I was going to do one of my December topics today (if you want to suggest one, go here), but they are currently debating in the House of Commons whether or not to call airstrikes on Syria, and I am not in the mood.

I understand that this is democracy in action. I understand that there are other points of view. But I don't understand how people can be so blind to the suffering of others. This isn't Call of Duty, this isn't a video game. There will be other people on the end of those missiles; people with lives and loves and families. With hopes and fears, who want to be doctors, lawyers, teachers. Who want to live in a peaceful world where their "allies" don't bomb them because they happen to come from the same country as people who want to do harm.

My dad always said that my grandma - when she got annoyed with something people were doing, or the government was doing, or anything like that - would sometimes say "what this country needs is a good war!" And I understand what she meant. We are so comfortable, we've forgotten what it's like to live in fear, what it's like to pull together for a common goal, what it's like to be a victim. Collectively, we are used to shifting the problem. The last war fought on British soil ended in 1945. So few people are still alive who remember what it was like.

I've been on twitter, half following the #SyriaVote hashtag. It's just full of people opposed to the airstrikes, which makes a nice change from hashtags you think will be full of people who think the same as you and turn out to think Donald Trump would be great for America. But anyway, in one of those tweets I found this:

Tony Benn was a legendary Labour MP who died a couple of years ago. He was liberal, anti-war and very articulate. He had four kids and one is Hilary Benn, Labour MP. Hilary Benn will be closing the debate tonight, just before they go to vote.

This was supposed to be something completely different, but turned into this instead because I couldn't be bothered to make the original idea work.

Title: Read Between the LinesRating: GPairing: noneWarnings: meta-ish? Fake links.Disclaimer: watch as I write fiction about fictionNotes: Unbeta'd. Post-Cap2 canon compliant. Won't work properly if you have fonts in any colour that isn't black.

Disclaimer: this is not meant as speculation on AoU, this is not me 'retconning' for any sort of purpose, I'm not trying to fix anything I've read about or heard speculated. This is simply an idea I had regarding Clint and his apparent propensity for picking up strays with no motive other than to give them a chance. This has potential-AoU references in it, but is not me trying to fix anything. I don't think it's not going up on AO3 though.

Title: Tippping PointRating: PG-13Pairings: pre-Tony/PepperWordcount: 3862Warnings: implied/referenced suicideBeta: alphaflyerNotes: I wrote this because I was reading the graphic novel Climate Changed by Phillipe Squarzoni and even though I studied climate science as part of my degree and already knew most of what I was reading, it was still making me really angry. Tony got into clean energy after shutting down Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing, so I figured he must have been pissed about it too.

Title: Not Doing This AloneRating: PG-13Pairings: noneWordcount: 8254Warnings: metions of suicude, homelessness, mild angst, PTSDDisclaimer: Watch me as I write fiction about fiction. All recognisable characters are property of Marvel and Disney.Beta: The wonderful inkvoices, who has been utterly fantastic in keeping this from veering into ridiculous accents and melodrama.Notes: Bucky on the streets of Brooklyn; Hawkguy fusion, outside POV. Written for sholio as part of avengersfest 2014. Totally went out of my comfort zone writing Bucky and I'm super glad I did.

I have returned from Ireland! It was nice. I had 13 hours sleep one night and saw the ugliest baby Jesus I've ever seen. I also wrote a story, long-hand, in two small notebooks (yes I completely filled a notebook). I like it but it's very... British. So I'm not sure it's going to be all that popular. But then again, that shouldn't matter really, should it? it's the first time I've tried Peggy POV and the first time I've written a relationship that isn't Clint/Natasha. It could be crap. We'll see.

Title: Be HumankindRating: PG13Pairings: Clint/Natasha, Peggy/Steve, Tony/Pepper, Maria/OFCWordcount: 5567Warnings: noneBeta: the lovely inkvoicesNotes: Written for inkvoices prompt:put Clint and Natasha in your place of work. My place of work is boring as shit, so I chose my voluntary job instead, which I love.

Title: Only Finger-LengthsRating: PG13Pairings: Clint/NatashaWordcount: 660Warnings: character deathBeta: noneNotes: Written for hufflepuffsneak's prompt:Natasha reads Clint's will or vice versa. This is the vice versa

Title: Just Like The Setting SunFandom: MCURating: 15/MaturePairings: Clint/NatashaWordcount: 1650Warnings: implied rape, slavery, deathDisclaimer: Watch me as I write fiction about fiction.Beta: alphaflyerNotes: Written for the be_compromisedPromptathon of Magic and Joy 2014 for my own prompt: Gladiator AU. Where they're both gladiators. Title from Setting Sun by Howling Bells.

Title:This Bitter EarthPairing(s): Clint/NatashaRating: TeenWordcount: 1301Warnings:Angst, starvation, background character death(s).Remixing:The Nature of Dust by inkvoicesAuthor's Note: Pinch hit for the be_compromisedRemix Exchange 2014.I was really angry about climate change when I wrote this, which is fitting as it's a gift for a fellow geographer, and I am possibly more proud of this story than I am of anything I have ever written before.

Title: FirebirdPairing(s): noneRating: MWordcount: 2461Warnings: See AO3 tags. Almost everything is implied rather than explicitly stated.Remixing:Ghost Towns by enigma731Author's Note: Written for the be_compromisedRemix Exchange 2014. I wrote this a while ago, so I can't really remember if I chose this story to remix, or if it just chose me. Though I do feel slightly bad that I ended up remixing a fic based on my own prompt. :/

This is the closest thing I have to a finished cosplay and I love it. Obviously, I need the right tshirt (surprisingly difficult to find), the right accesories and to finish the jacket (since these photos were taken, I have a tacked blue stripe down one sleeve and a pinned blue stripe down the other. Sleeves are hard.) And then small things, like dying my boot leather and stuff.

Title: Going Underground (Or: Five People Who Helped Save London, Even if They Didn't Know It)Fandom: ThorRating: GPairings: NoneWordcount: 3075Warnings: None.Disclaimer: Watch me as I write fiction about fiction. All recognisable characters are property of Marvel and Disney.Beta: inkvoices. Thank you my dear!Notes: As a (currently displaced) Londoner, this scene is both hilarious and wrong (see comments). So I fixed it.

Title: Spare Me Over Another YearFandom: The AvengersRating: PG-13Pairings: Clint/Natasha, Clint/BobbiWordcount: 9324Warnings: Character deaths (see notes), canon and world typical violenceDisclaimer: Watch me as I write fiction about fiction. All recognisable characters are property of Marvel and Disney.Beta: The wonderful shenshen77, who has been ridiculously helpful once again. Also thanks to alphaflyer and inkvoices, who are great to bounce ideas off.Notes: This started out as a sort of American Gods/The Book Thief/Avengers fusion, with a bit of Sandman thrown in. But then it turned into something else, though those elements can still be seen if you look hard enough. Death in this is similar to death as seen in Sandman/American Gods. So they die, but they don’t die.

Inspired by a prompt from _samalander which I saw in the be_compromisedSecret Santa 2013; in her time as a reaper, Natasha has collected a lot of souls. She's never fallen in love with one before. For _samalander (obviously) but also inkvoices, who’s wanted an American Gods fusion ever since my prompt at the 2012 Summer Promptathon, and also my friend Jenna, to whom I gave this story as a (late) Christmas present.

Title: The Sky and IFandom: MCURating: PG-13Pairings: NoneWordcount: 6706Warnings: NoneDisclaimer: Watch me as I write fiction about fiction. All recognisable characters are property of Marvel and Disney.Beta: inkvoices, with a special mention to alphaflyerNotes: Written for the avengers_remix. Remix of IamShadow21's story What a Guy! Title and lyric from Laura Marling's the Captain and Hourglass.